Ladder support



July 29, 1952 w. P. E. SMITH 2,605,037

LADDER suPPoR'-11 Filed oci. 1a, 1946 f Maw INVENTOR. M4 @fer D J/v/rf/Patented July 29, 1952 -:UNITED-fmms i* y jlatoaosr ,Y y LADDER SUPPORTThis instant invention 'pertains to ladders and its main object is toprovidefa' ladder with lan attachment to prevent' the -formerjlfromvtipping backward or slipping. l Y

Another object of the invention is to provide means preferablyassociated with the top end of the ladder and preventing slipping,suchmeans being also adapted for supporting a stage or scaffold board atvarious heights and therefore adapting the ladder for being used as ascaffold.

With these and other objects in view as will become apparent as theinvention is understood, the same resides in the novelty of combination,construction and arrangement of parts specif ically hereinafterdescribed and claimed in the appended claim. Y

For a better understanding of the description the same refers to theaccompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of my ladder.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of the inner side of anti-slippingmeans.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the base member.

In the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like orsimilar parts throughout the several views, numeral 5 denotes either ofa pair of parallel base bars which carry on their outer or remote sidesspurs 1 extending slightly below the bottom edges of the bars andengaging the ground to prevent sliding thereon. The front ends of thebase bars are held in spaced relation by a rod 9.

To the outer side of either base bar and adjacent the rear end thereofis secured by fasteners Il a triangular plate l2 to the upper apex ofwhich is pivoted by bolt I3 the lower end of the ladder stile I5connected by horizontally dis'- posed spaced rungs I1 to the otherstile.

The ends of the second rung from the bottom project somewhat beyond theouter sides of the stiles and function as pivots for the upper ends of apair of diagonal brace bars 20 the intermediate portions 2| of which areoffset outwardly (Figures 1 and 2). The lower ends of the bars 20 areconnected by a rod 23. Abutment plates 25 are each affixed with theirlower portion by fasteners 26 to the inner side of a base bar andinclude an upper portion extending above the latter. This upper portionis formed into a plurality of spaced hooks 2l opening rearwardly. Eachhook is transversely aligned with a hook formed on the abutment plate ofthe other base bar. Each pair v v Wilbert El# Smith, Thomaston, Conn.'Aspiration cacher 1s, 194s, serial No. 704,107.-

" 1 claim. (o1. 22S-,64X

of valigned hooks may receive rod 23 Athrough entrancejopenings each thehook. l

To'the u be removed from an aligned pair of hooks or in serted thereinonly when the latches extend upwardly (Figure 3).

Each stile of the ladder is provided with a series of holes 35 eachhorizontally aligned with a holelr in the other stile. The top pair ofaligned holes in Figure 1 is above the top rung and occupied by a rod 36also passing through the inner ends of the bracket legs 38 the rear endsof which are connected by a board 4U covered on its outer or rear sidewith rubber 4| preventing slipping on a supporting wall. The legs are onthe inner sides of the stiles and carry aflixed to their confrontingsides ratchet wheels 43 held in a predetermined angular position bypawls pivoted to the inner sides of the stiles. Supports 41 are aflixedto the rear edges of the stiles and in proximity to a pair of holes 35and hold the bracket legs pivoted on the rod 35 inserted in that pair ofholes in horizontal position. Figure l shows the legs 38 and board 40,4I in full and dotted lines at different elevations. If a pair of ladderstructures is used, a stage or scaffold board may be placed on the pairsof legs, one pair of which is shown in dotted lines in Figure l.

Thus it is apparent that the brackets 33, 40, 4| and board 50 make itpossible to use a pair of the ladders as a scaffold.

The foregoing description is believed to sufficiently point out theoperation of the device.

I desire it to be understood that the described and illustratedembodiment of my invention is merely an illustration or example, not alimitation thereof and that changes and modifications may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is as follows:

In a ladder, a pair of laterally spaced vertical stiles, rungs extendingbetween the stiles, a pair of laterally spaced horizontal base barshaving forward and rearward ends, said stiles having their lower endspivotally supported on the rearyadjacent Uthe free end of per portion ofeachfplate25 are 'piv oted by pins `29g-'the rearwarjdor lower ends ofaA plurality of latches 30, one foreach hook; the freeV or forward endof each latch terminating' in'aU reduced finger 3| extending at rightangles to a shoulder 32 at the upper end of the shoulder. They ward endsof the base bars, forwardly declining diagonal brace bars having upperends pivoted on the stiles and lower ends, a horizontal transverse rodextending between and iixed on the lower ends of the brace bars andoverlying the horizontal base bars, longitudinally spaced hooks fixed onand rising from the base bars, said hooks faoing rearwardly and havingrearwardly opening apertures in which said transverse rod is selectivelyengageable'to support said stiles in selected angular relation to saidbase bars, and latches having one end thereof pivoted on the hooks andfree ends, said latches being arranged to occupy forwardly recliningclosed positions in which the latches bridge the space between twoadjacent hooks, the free ends of the latches having fingers arranged tooverlie the transverse rod positioned therein and shoulders beneath thengersengageable with the side of the transverse rod opposite to thatengaged in a hook aperture whereby the transverse rod is held in place,the latches being swngable upwardly from their closed positions to openvertical positions in which the iingers and shoulders are disengagedfrom the transverse rod to permit the transverse rod to be removed fromla hook aperture. f

WILBERT P. E. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 140,286 Longcor June 24,V 1873141,126 Eagan July 22, 1873 v292,932 Markwick Feb. 5, 1884 327,570Marston Oct. 6, 1885 713,358 Stiles et al Nov. 11, 1902 771,352 CloughOct. 4, 1904 799,360 Smith Sept. 12, 1905 1,004,284 Lehmann Sept, 26,1911 1,118,199 Hawk Nov. 24, 1914 1,335,369 Donohue Mar. 30, 19201,474,462 Blankenhagen Nov. 20, 1923 FOREIGN PATENTS Number p CountryDate 7,200 Great Britain Jan. 30, 1913 429,966 .Great Britain June 11,1935 778,298 France Dec. 22, 1934

